Food for the Soul
by 1221bookworm
Summary: Scarlet and Wolf spend a day at the local Garlic Festival. It's the little things that bring them closer together.


**_A/N: Checking in late for the TLC Shipweeks prompt Festival for Wolflet. I really struggled coming up with a story, but once I started, it just kind of kept growing. I hope you enjoy!_**

 ** _A/N 2: I don't own the Lunar Chronicles. Or garlic festivals. I've never actually been to a garlic festival, though there is one nearby. I did look up the list of food vendors and their menus, and garlic ice cream really is a thing!_**

Wolf could smell the garlic from a mile away.

Maybe it wasn't quite a full mile. But he was sure it was close.

When he mentioned it to Scarlet, she'd laughed and raised her own nose to the air, trying to match his own heightened awareness. It didn't work, but the exercise left her face bright at the upcoming prospect.

"You're going to love it, Wolf." She guided the podship through the traffic, all of it heading in the same direction they were. "There'll be tons of food to taste."

He'd thought it was a wonderful idea when she'd mentioned it last week, but he was beginning to have doubts. This was the first time he had ventured this far from the farm; there would be people who had no connection to Scarlet, and so no reason to accept him. He debated claiming the scent was too much and giving him a headache. It was certainly tempting, as it would soon be combined with the press of human bodies, and distant conversations that his too sensitive ears would still pick up. But he'd learned to handle that ages ago when they were delivering the leutmosis antidote, and he couldn't stand the thought of Scarlet seeing through his lie and losing whatever trust in him he had started to earn.

Volunteers in bright purple vests directed the stream of podships, and Scarlet sank to a stop on the end of a row of them, the attendance moving off to direct the next podship to begin a new line behind them. The hum of the engine died, and in the new quiet, Wolf could hear the excited buzz of other people climbing out of their podships and making their way toward the entrance.

"We've got a good spot this year." Scarlet climbed out and stretched. "Perks of getting up early to do chores – you're always first in to these events."

Wolf nodded, his nose already working overtime to identify the other scents mingling in with the garlic wafting out to them. There was definitely a barbecue going, the smell of hickory smoke rivaled garlic for dominance.

His stomach rumbled in anticipation of tasting food; his mouth was already watering. Scarlet looked over at him and grinned. "They'll be enough food here to satisfy even your appetite." Wolf smiled sheepishly. She put a hand on his arm to stop him as they went through the gates. "Welcome to the Garlic Festival."

He had to admit, it was quite a spectacular sight. Rows of vendors stretched down a main aisle as far as he could see. On one side, a row of buildings had the doors and windows open, and the people already pouring in proved Wolf's theory that more vendors were housed inside. The other side of the path was less ordered, vendors with large food trucks were spaced haphazardly, tables set up in clusters around them. Others must have been there since before dawn, erecting barbecue pits a safe distance from other vendors, their spits already turning. Wolf spotted chicken and possibly pork on several of them as the owners drizzled glazes over them or tended the fires.

Scarlet was grinning like a school girl, her hair already frizzy from the humidity. Wolf tucked a stray strand of it behind her ear. "Where do we get started?"

It was exactly what she had been waiting for. She grabbed his hand, and he eagerly followed her as she wove her way through the vendors. Her first stop was a vendor selling garlic kabobs. Reading the sign, Wolf wondered if the stick would only be filled with cloves of garlic, roasted on the grill. He liked garlic, Scarlet certainly used plenty of it in her cooking, but he wasn't sure that sounded entirely appetizing. He was pleasantly surprised when she handed him one: large cubes of beef were sandwiched between melted globs of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Wolf pulled the tomato off the top with his teeth, his eyes watering. He hadn't realized it would be so hot. As the tomato skin burst in his mouth, he could taste the garlic oil dressing combining with his favorite food.

"Yummm," he closed his eyes to better savor the flavors as Scarlet had taught him. When he swallowed the first bite, he eagerly took several pieces at once. They had almost cooled enough to touch, so he happily slid several off the skewer and into his mouth.

Scarlet was laughing at him, her own food barely touched as she enjoyed watching him eat. He licked his fingers. "Where to next?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "You pick. And I think this time, we'll share. I'll never be able to keep up with your appetite." While she spoke, she reached up to wipe a spot of oil off his cheek with her thumb.

Wolf caught her hand, turning it to kiss her knuckles. She blushed, adding a third shade of red to her ensemble. He wanted to kiss her, embrace her. She had opened this whole new world to him, and she hadn't tired of sharing it with him.

But he knew Scarlet would be embarrassed if he said such things. In public, anyway. So instead, he kept her hand in his, leading the way further into the throng, his headache nearly forgotten as he took in the new sights, scents, and foods.

At first, he let Scarlet do all the buying. Pointing out what looked interesting, and hanging back until she had purchased it from the vendor. He received funny looks from some people while he was waiting, but he had learned to look away and ignore their wary eyes.

As the fair filled up, finding each other again proved more difficult. Not that either of them were particularly difficult to spot; however, the press of the crowd jostling in different directions made cutting their chosen path more challenging.

So Wolf tagged along with her to the front of the lines, and was relieved when no one called the authorities. Maybe because the vendors were more interested in collecting their money than who was actually paying them. The crowd made it easier to feel normal; everyone focused on their own tasks instead of staring.

There were more than just food vendors. Painters had set up their easels behind the buildings, filling their canvases with artfully arranged garlic cloves; metal workers and stoneware merchants displayed bowls and utensils for "all your garlic recipes". One booth was devoted only to recipe cards, each one printed with a stunning picture of the finished meal, and directions written on the back.

Wolf spend nearly a half an hour at this booth alone, rifling through the cards, picking the ones he wanted to try. He felt Scarlet watching him as he compared too recipes, and he ducked his head shyly.

"I'm thrilled you want to cook, Wolf." She wrapped her arm in his as they finally walked away, their pockets stuffed with new ideas.

He grimaced. He still hadn't quite mastered the art of it yet. He was clumsy in the kitchen, the tight space causing his energy to build, and render him unable to sit still. He was surprised Scarlet hadn't banned him from the kitchen yet, for the number of messes she'd had to clean up. Both on him and in the kitchen.

She was still chatting on about the recipes, telling him about similar ones her grandmere used to make. Suddenly she stopped short. He looked at her, then the vendor where they stopped. "I know what you need."

Wolf was confused as she dragged him among the fabrics, many depicting garlic cloves. What was she looking for? He didn't know of any needs that were unfilled, and he very much doubted there would be clothing in his size in a booth so small.

Scarlet turned around. "Ta-da." She held up a checkered apron. It was long, meant to cover the wearer from neck to knee. The ties and loop were thick, and would be easier for Wolf to manipulate with his bigger fingers.

"Thank you." He'd had to lick his lips twice to get the words out, hoping she realized it was for more than an apron.

If she did, she hadn't mentioned it, which was probably for the better before Wolf embarrassed them both. They began to wind back through the vendors in the direction of their podship, their feet tired from walking, and their eyelids drooping. Scarlet pointed to one last vendor as they passed through the gate. "Garlic Ice Cream," she read the sign, her eyes lit up, looking at Wolf as if to challenge him. "Are you up for it?"

They waited until they were sitting in the podship before taking the first bite. Wolf inspected his spoonful first, wondering what could possibly be the appeal of such a combination. When he swallowed, he decided it wasn't all bad, if not his favorite food of the day. He looked over to see how Scarlet liked it. He wasn't sure she had even finished it, her eyes closed, her head tilted back against the seat.

She must have sensed his attention on her, she turned her head to smile at him. "Did you have fun?"

Wolf leaned across the console and pressed his lips to hers, the taste of garlic filling both their mouths, even as they pulled each other closer.

"I'll take that as a yes." Scarlet turned back to face front and fired up the engine of the podship. Wolf watched her hands move across the controls, his mind already replaying the memories they had made today. As she pulled out of the festival traffic and onto less crowded avenues, he leaned closer.

"You know what would have been even better?"

"What?" Scarlet barely glanced over at him.

"A Tomato Festival."


End file.
